[Al Skierkiewicz]

Everyone,
The basis of all this discussion comes down to one very simple rule...
R34
Non-electrical sources of energy used by the ROBOT, (i.e., stored at the start of a MATCH), shall come only from the following sources:
A. compressed air stored in the pneumatic system that is legal per R79 and R80,
B. a change in the altitude of the ROBOT center of gravity, and
C. storage achieved by deformation of ROBOT parts.

Referenced in the preamble...
"In addition, another intent of these rules is to have all energy sources and active actuation systems on the ROBOT (e.g. batteries, compressors, motors, servos, cylinders, and their controllers) drawn from a well-defined set of options. This is to ensure that all Teams have access to the same actuation resources,and to ensure that the Inspectors are able to accurately assess the legality of a given part."

Every team believes and expects that the inspectors are insuring that this rule is met. To assist us with that task the remaining pneumatic rules are in place.
If you think that teams would never bypass the rules or do something unsafe (intentional or unintentional), I suggest you spend a weekend as an inspector. Every bad scenario that you can think of, we have seen. Including the team who had a student holding the power cord for the shop compressor and would pull the power when he thought the system was sufficiently charged.